


French Advice

by Jathis



Category: Beauty and the Beast (2017), Sofia the First (Cartoon)
Genre: Advice, Crossover, Friendship, Gen, Humor, Second Chances
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:48:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28090422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jathis/pseuds/Jathis
Summary: The amulet summons a peculiar person to help Cedric
Comments: 1
Kudos: 8





	French Advice

Sofia had never thought that her amulet could summon someone who wasn’t a princess. After all, that had been the main thing it was used for when she first came to the castle and was given it. The idea that it could pluck  _ anyone _ that could help another in need had never crossed her mind.

That was until she had given the amulet to Cedric so he could study it. The sorcerer had just touched the amulet with a finger when it started to glow and the both of them were blinded by a sudden flash of light.

When their vision returned, there was someone else in Cedric’s workshop. He was a short man, oddly dressed in tans and reds. His hair was up in a ponytail with funny looking sideburns. He looked around in bewilderment, his eyes widening when he finally saw Cedric. “Où suis-je?! Qui êtes vous?” 

Cedric held his hands up as a strange object was pointed in his face. He didn’t know what it was but he was certain it had to be some kind of weapon. “Sofia, run to the door,” he said over his shoulder.

“What is he saying, Mr. Cedric?”

“I have no idea!” he hissed, gesturing for her to go to the door. He stopped when the weapon touched his chest, yelping as he held his hands up higher. “No fair! I don’t even know what that is! I can’t even try to defend myself!”

“Où est Stanley? Où est Villenevue?!” the stranger demanded. He caught sight of Sofia and stopped, lowering his hand as he took a step back. “Une princesse?”

“Princess? Yes, princess! She’s a princess so you better calm down you weird...person...thing!” Cedric said.

She took the momentary truce as her chance to pick up the amulet, slipping it on. “Maybe this will help me understand him,” she said.

“I don’t even think he’s speaking a language,” Cedric huffed, placing his hands on his hips as he glared at the other.

“Hello? Can you understand me?” Sofia tried.

“J’étais avec Stanley un moment et maintenant je suis là.”

“Oh…that didn’t help,” she sighed. She took off her amulet and held it out to Cedric. “You try it on!”

“Me?! If it doesn’t work for you, why would it work for me?” he asked.

“It’s the only other option we have.”

The sorcerer sighed, eyeing the stranger warily before he took back the amulet, slipping it around his neck. “Merlin’s mushrooms…” He turned back to the stranger, pointing a finger at him. “It’s bad manners to threaten a sorcerer in his own workshop, you know!”

The man’s eyes widened.

“See?” Cedric sighed, throwing his hands up. “I knew this wouldn’t…”

“Where am I?”

Cedric tried to hold back his surprise when he understood the other. “Oh...he  _ is  _ speaking some kind of language…”

“Can you understand him, Mr. Cedric?”

“If you’re a sorcerer why did you bring me here?” the man demanded.

“I didn’t bring you here! The amulet did and you should show a little more respect because I have half a mind to…”

“Mr. Cedric?”

“Hm?”

“You’re the only one who can understand him,” Sofia said. She frowned as she tried to think of an explanation, hands on her hips. She perked up when an idea came to her and she pointed at the stranger. “You’re here to help Mr. Cedric!”

Both men responded with a “what”, one of which Sofia could understand. Sofia was certain she had guessed correctly and she nodded as she turned to Cedric. “Whenever I needed help with something the amulet would summon a princess to help me,” she said. “So maybe you need help with something!”

“I don’t need help!”

“That’s the only way he can be sent back to where he came from, Mr. Cedric. Try to think of what you could need help with.”

“I don’t need help from some random vagabond!”

“I’m not a vagabond! I used to be a soldier and now I work at the palace. Show some respect,” the stranger huffed.

“He says he works in some palace,” Cedric huffed.

“A palace where?”

“Where is it?” Cedric asked for her.

“In a small piece of land in the heart of France. Prince Adam and Princess Belle rule over it.”

“He says…”

“Did he say Belle? Princess Belle?” Sofia clapped her hands in excitement. Now at least they were getting somewhere. “He’s from Belle’s castle! From Beauty and the Beast!”

“Is he the beast?”

“I can still shoot you,” the stranger warned.

“What’s his name?”

Cedric sighed and turned to the other. “The princess would like to know your name.”

“Everyone calls me Lefou.”

“He says his name is...what?” Cedric looked back at the man in confusion. Lefou just gave him a look and Cedric shrugged as he turned back to Sofia. “His name is Lefou.”

Sofia nodded and was immediately climbing up Cedric’s ladder to get to his books. “Where did you put the books on princesses?” she called down.

“A little more to the left and please do be careful up there!” The sorcerer watched with some envy as Sofia navigated his bookshelf with little help. She found whatever book she wanted and climbed back down, holding it up with some pride. “Well?”

“Beauty and the Beast. Maybe reading this will give us some answers!”

Cedric sighed, picking up his wand and summoning two more chairs. “Well then let’s start reading.”

***

Cedric volunteered to read from the book to avoid any issues with translation between the three of them. Lefou occasionally interrupted, correcting a detail here and there when he felt it was important. He was amazed at how much the book got correct, even if it did make him look...unfortunate.

“My nose isn’t nearly that big,” Lefou muttered. “And I am not nearly that small either.” He ran his tongue over his teeth, suddenly very much aware of the chip in one of his front teeth. Whoever had drawn him had made a point of making it very obvious.

When the story was finished, they all tried to think of what Lefou could have been summoned to help Cedric with. The Frenchman frowned to himself as he thought, looking at Sofia as he asked, “what things has he done here? Be honest.”

Cedric huffed as he translated this. “Sofia would never be dishonest!” he sniffed. “It’s unbecoming of a princess of Enchancia!”

***

A half hour later and Cedric wished Sofia would be a little dishonest. The girl had told Lefou  _ everything _ and forced Cedric to translate all of it perfectly. With the amulet on he couldn’t lie either if he didn’t want to be cursed and so he was forced to tell Lefou about his attempts for the throne and Sofia’s amulet.

“But...but that is long past!” he insisted. “Wormwood may have stolen that crown but I didn’t tell him to! I really  _ am _ being good from now on.”

Lefou listened quietly, thinking to himself. He waited until Cedric had calmed down before speaking. “You’re afraid of slipping back.”

“What?”

“You’re afraid of slipping back to your old ways. That’s okay, I did too. I didn’t think anyone at the village or castle would accept me after being Gaston’s lackey for so long. I thought I would always be seen as the villain biding his time. You feel that way too, don’t you?”

Sofia quietly stood up as she watched the expressions on Cedric’s face. She didn’t know what Lefou was saying but whatever it was had struck a chord with the sorcerer. She would give them privacy so Lefou could help Cedric.

“...they called me a joke for years…” Cedric whispered.

“My name literally means the crazy one,” Lefou sighed.

“I just...they never thought I could do anything. Until...until Sofia that is,” he murmured. “She was the only one who thought I was amazing. She never used my mistakes against me like the others. She only ever saw the successes.

“And now there’s this Wormwood business. It was so easy for him to betray me. He was my familiar. What does that say about me as a sorcerer if my own familiar turns wicked?”

“My best friend nearly led a mob to murder a prince and the woman who loved him because she wouldn’t marry him instead,” Lefou offered. “I had always been his shadow, the one singing his praises to make him feel big. It was all I was good for to him.

“When I heard Gaston had died I...I was so sure everyone would take their anger for him out on me. Why wouldn’t they? I was his comrade! Just as bad as he was. But they didn’t. Belle saw to that.

“Belle gave me a second chance to prove myself. I was scared at first of slipping up and I did make mistakes along the way. She never stopped believing in me. Her or Stanley…” he murmured, blushing at the thought.

Cedric listened quietly, fingering the glittering jewel around his neck. “I want to prove myself to be a good man and a good sorcerer but I’m scared. I’m scared of failing. I’m scared she’ll give up on me.”

“You have to trust her and the others. You’ve got to open yourself up. You’ve been closed off for too long. You want them to trust you but you have to trust them too.”

Stanley blushed. He had to admit, he was always wary around Roland, especially after Wormwood’s betrayal and his near imprisonment. He didn’t entirely trust the king to give him a fair chance.

“Trust goes both ways…” Cedric murmured.

“Precisely,” Lefou nodded. He blinked and looked around as a glow slowly started to come from his body. “I think we did it,” he laughed.

“Thank you for your advice. I shall make sure to remember it,” Cedric said, taking Lefou’s hand.

The Frenchman smiled, shaking the sorcerer’s hand before he was gone in a flash.

He took the amulet off, holding it in the palm of his hand as he looked down at it. He wondered why it had summoned Lefou to him but he was also very grateful to it. “Very well. I shall endeavor to trust the king more often,” he murmured to the jewel. He looked up when Sofia returned, clearing his throat as he stood up, putting the amulet back around her neck. “I think it’s safer to have  _ you  _ do the studying of this amulet from now on.”


End file.
